March 29, 2008

DULUTH, MINN. - The Bemidji State University tennis team was unable to pick up a victory this weekend in Duluth, Minn. as the College of St. Scholastica Saints defeated the Beavers 7-2 Saturday morning at the Burns Wellness Commons on the St. Scholastica campus.

The Beavers team of Kristen Lexcen (Sr., Andover, Minn.) and Kara Johnson (Fr., Anoka, Minn.) were victorious as a team for the first time this season as they defeated the Saints Megan Carlson and Kelly Ross 8-6 at No. 2 doubles. St. Scholastica ended the doubles portion of the contest with a 2-1 lead over Bemidji State.

The Saints were able to put away the match in singles competition gaining five of the six points with the only point for the Beavers coming at No. 3 singles where Farrah Steinke (Fr., Crosby, Minn.) outlasted the Saints Natalie Urick in a superset tiebreaker. Steinke claimed the first set 7-6 on a marathon 9-7 tiebreaker. Urick was able to take the second set 6-4 to force the tiebreaker. Steinke who has gone to a third set in her previous four matches used that experience to edge Urick 10-5 to win the match.

With the win the College of St. Scholastica improves to 9-5 on the season while the Beavers record falls to 3-11 (0-2; NSIC). The Saints are 2-0 against Bemidji State this seson with their other victory coming back on February 24.

Bemidji State returns home for a Sunday battle against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons at 10 a.m. The match tommorow is a non-conference match as Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents can count one match against an opponent as conference. The Beavers conference match against the Dragons will take place on April 12 in Moorhead, Minn.

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--bsu--